Australia’s Best Cars 2018 winners announced

RAC has announced the 15 best new cars on the Australian market, as determined by the prestigious 2018 Australia's Best Cars program.

A panel of eight judges from motoring clubs across the country crowned winners in 15 categories based on more than 20 criteria, including safety, affordability, driveability, build quality, depreciation, fuel consumption and insurance costs.

RAC Manager Vehicles and Sustainability, and Australia’s Best Cars judge, Alex Forrest said the awards program was the biggest independent new car assessment initiative in Australia.

“The Australia's Best Cars program seeks to influence the new car market by challenging manufacturers to continually improve the safety, fuel efficiency and affordability of their vehicles,” he said.

“Using a comprehensive scoring system, we spent 12 months assessing more than 150 new cars.

“All models were tested as a consumer would typically use them, which makes the list of winning vehicles a great starting point to help guide new car-buyers in making an informed decision.

“Not only is a car one of the biggest purchasing decisions people make, it is also the most technically complex item most people own, and one which might one day save their life,” Mr Forrest said.

“The 2018 Australia’s Best Cars winners not only offer great value for money, but are also highly rated in terms of their safety, how they drive and their fuel efficiency.”

Australia’s Best Cars 2018 – Category Winners

Category

Winner
Micro CategoryKia Picanto S
Light CategoryMazda2 Maxx
Small Car <$35,000Mazda3 Maxx Sport
Small Car >$35,000BMW 125i
Medium Car <$50,000Toyota Camry Ascent Hybrid
Medium Car >$50,000BMW 330i Sportline
Large Car <$70,000Kia Stinger 200S
Family WagonKia Carnival SLi
Sports <$50,000Hyundai i30 N
Sports $50,000 - $100,000Mercedes A 45 AMG
Small 2WD SUV <$35,000Mazda CX-3 Maxx
AWD SUV <$50,000Subaru Outback 2.5i Premium
AWD SUV $50,000 - $65,000Kia Sorento GT Line
AWD SUV $65,000 - $125,000Volvo XC60 D4 Inscription
4X4 Dual Cab UtesFord Ranger XLT 3.2